Reversing the trend of the past two weeks, total initial claims (regular UI plus PUA) for the week of August 15 rose in California and more strongly in the national data. Total initial claims for both these programs were up 2.4% from the prior week in California. The comparable numbers were up 8.0% for the US as a whole.

In California, initial claims for the regular UI program were largely unchanged (-0.4%) at 201,640 (unadjusted). These were more than offset by higher PUA claims by the self-employed, up 5.9% to 173,424. 

For the US as a whole, the seasonally adjusted numbers for the regular UI rose 13.9% to 1,106,000. The more relevant unadjusted numbers were up 6.3% to 891,510. Nationally, PUA claims were also up by 10.8% to 542,747.

Comparing the claims trajectories to the week of May 9 (the week following the initial spike in PUA claims), total initial claims in California (regular UI plus PUA) were up 7% over this period, while the total was down 63% for the rest of the US.

Combining the most recent initial claims numbers (2 weeks’ worth for PUA to account for differences in data reporting) along with an easing in the continuing claims data, 6.45 million California workers were receiving or applying for unemployment insurance last week, up 6% from the week before. This number, however, does not include initial and continuing claims for PEUC and other much smaller benefit programs.

Although not included in the figures below, claims under the new Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program continued to rise. This new category allows an additional 13 weeks of coverage for persons who have exhausted their regular benefits, including eligibility for the recently announced additional $300 a week. California claims were up at 290,747, or 23% of total claims nationally.

Under the revised WARN Act procedures, companies with significant layoffs still are required to submit the notices, but any nonfiling penalties are waived. These notices do not cover all current layoffs, but provide a current indicator of the geographic dispersion. The data also indicates that the number of permanent rather than temporary closures and layoffs have risen as economic restrictions remain in place. The most recent updates, however, are minor and show little change from last week’s summary.